6 Indian nationals, including pregnant woman, detained in Chapainawabganj after pushback from India
On 25 June, the Border Security Force (BSF) pushed them into Bangladesh via the Kurigram border, leaving the pregnant woman, her child, and other family members without regard for international law or human rights
Chapainawabganj police have detained six Indian nationals, including a pregnant woman, after a tip-off led to a raid in Alimnagar Bhutpukur village of the municipality.
The detainees were apprehended under the supervision of local resident Montazur Rahman Hakur. Authorities recovered Indian Aadhaar cards and citizenship documents from the group.
Among those detained are Md Danish Sheikh, 28, from Sahebabad, Delhi, his wife Sunali Khatun, 26, who is eight months pregnant, and their son Md Sabbir Shokh, 8. Also arrested were Swity Bibi, 33, from Dhitra village, Murarai police station, Birbhum district, West Bengal, and her two sons, Md Qurban Dewan, 16 and Md Imam Dewan, 6.
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The family was initially detained on 24 June by police at Kalimata Police Station in Delhi over suspicions of being Bangladeshi nationals.
On 25 June, the Border Security Force (BSF) pushed them into Bangladesh via the Kurigram border, leaving the pregnant woman, her child, and other family members without regard for international law or human rights.
Chapainawabganj District Superintendent of Police Rezaul Karim said, "They were pushed into Bangladesh via the Assam border. Recently, they were staying in Chapainawabganj. Indian documents were recovered from them. Since women and children are involved, the matter is being handled with sympathy."
Relatives of the family insist all six are Indian citizens from Birbhum district in West Bengal, not Bangladesh, and have filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court for their repatriation.
Roshni Bibi, a cousin of Sunali, told The Indian Express, "They are migrant labourers who have been working as ragpickers in Delhi for the last 20 years. They were picked up by the police on 18 July. All documents, including land deeds, were provided to the police. But they didn't budge."
Human rights activists condemned the pushback, saying, "Forcing a pregnant woman back in this manner is not only inhumane, it is a clear violation of international human rights law and the Geneva Conventions."
This incident follows similar cases in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh, where mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims from West Bengal were detained and sent across the border as "illegal immigrants."
Samirul Islam, chairman of the Migrant Labour Welfare Board and Rajya Sabha MP, criticised the practice, saying, "This cannot be tolerated. Despite showing all proof, including land records, this has happened. Our government has intervened, but the administration in BJP-ruled states and in Delhi is not paying heed. We will move to court on Monday and appeal to the court to produce them before the judge. Is it a fault to speak in Bengali outside Bengal?"
